Love Me Tender
by CrossYaHeart
Summary: Stella is forced to leave her family to evade capture by her parents' drug partners. She finds a list of Twitters intended for Cameron Quiseng, and finds them all to try to get it back to him. Along the way she makes interesting friends and might even fall in love. With a cruel twist of fate; her new friends and
1. Chapter 1

Stella smoothed the envelope with her fingers. She peered out the window of the town car as it made its way past downtown Los Angeles. _California_, she thought. _Definitely a departure from Maine._ Stella hesitantly opened the envelope and began reading the letter.

Dear Donatella,

I love you, and I hope you remember that always. We always knew your mother's business would catch up with us. I'm sorry it has affected you this way. I will miss you more than anything, but I must ask you not try to contact me. Any attempt will only put you in danger. You mother owes things to a lot of people. Things she can't pay back from prison.

I regret this has cost you so much. I want to send you to college and allow you to do all the things you want. I want you to have a good life, and I'm confident we will get to have one together again. Your mother did well-she hid her tracks well. I just want you to be as happy as you can while being safe. We-your mother and I-are afraid someone might try to use you as collateral for their money. Or, once your mother is out, their LSD. I'm sorry, Stella.

California is the best place for you right now. It's the furthest place from Maine, and the people are very friendly. You are going to do so well there. You have a house in Burbank completely paid for. There is also a special present waiting for you once you are there. We left no paper trail, so you are safe.

Stella, find someone you can trust. More than anything right now you need a friend. While we can't be there for you as parents, we want you to have some sort of family. Sending you away is the hardest thing we have to do. Do not worry, we will get you back. We will have you home again! It's just temporary, I promise.

I promise I'll miss you every day. I hope you enjoy your time in California. Make friends. Enjoy life like you should. I'll see you soon.

Love,

Dad

Stella rolled her eyes and looked up as they passed the Church of Scientology. _God,_ she thought. _I knew this would happen. I knew it. The drug dealer and the businessman have a kid. That story could only end one way._ _So, here I am, across the country from where I should be. Ivy league was my calling, and I'm stuck here hiding from crooks. My mother owes people money for the LSD she never gave them because she landed herself in prison. I am collateral. _

Stella struggled with her thoughts all the way to Burbank. The streets were lined with quaint shops and palm trees. She wondered how she would get used to everything when her driver pulled up next to a small-looking house.

"You need to unlock the gate with a code." The driver said. Stella leapt from the car onto the sidewalk. 0-3-1-9-1-1. The gate slid open and the car followed Stella into the driveway. The driver removed her three suitcases from the trunk and said,

"I hope you have a wonderful time." He smiled. Stella reached into her purse for tip money. "No, no." The driver shook his head. "That has been well taken care of." He got back in the front seat and pulled out of the driveway. Stella closed the gate and a sense of foreboding washed over her as she glanced at her new home.

"January 2nd. New year, new life." Stella muttered. "Hopefully this one will involve less bullshit." Two pairs of keys were taped to the front door. One was labeled "House" and the other "Car." Stella tilted her head and thought, _Car?_ She turned and saw a 1972 Lotus Elan sitting in the driveway. Stella smiled. "I'll learn to love it."

Stella ripped the two pairs of keys from the door and unlocked it.

"Pre-furnished." She muttered. "Perfect." She walked into the foyer, then the kitchen, then up the stairs to her bedroom. Stella collapsed on her bed, leaving her suitcases downstairs. "It's gonna be an adjustment." She muttered as she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Stella woke the next morning at 6:00. She pulled on her Victoria's Secret sweatpants, tank top, and hoodie. Stella threw her keys in her pocket along with her cell phone and left the house.  
She jogged around the area for an hour, taking in all the buildings. After a shower and a much-needed trip to Whole Foods, Stella arrived to a place she thought might make a stable home. 10064 Toluca Lake Avenue. She smiled at her refrigerator and thought, _One last thing_. She grabbed her keys and ran across the street to Starbucks.  
Stella arrived at Starbucks amid the noontime rush. She waited for her drink at the tall table by the back wall. She impatiently tapped her foot and stared at the floor. She noticed a piece of paper scrunched between her chair seat and the wall. Stella pulled it out and skimmed it.  
**Cameron, thanks so much for everything you and the guys have done! We appreciate and love you so much! These girls would love it if you followed them on Twitter:**  
** KissingQuiseng**  
** KendrickAllStar**  
** MikeyIsMyG**  
** QuiQuiGimmeTheD**  
**And I'm IlianaThompson **  
**Keep doing what you're doing! We love you!**  
"Stella!" The barista yelled rudely. "Stella!" She leapt up, took the drink, and walked back to her house.  
"Cameron?" She muttered. "Why would this girl get a list of Twitters?" Stella sat at her laptop, impatiently waiting for it to turn on. She typed in each of the girls' Twitters, seeing if they had anything in common.  
"Kissing Quiseng? How do you say that? Kwee-seng? Kiss-eng? Quiche-eng?" Stella muttered. "Allstar Weekend." She muttered scrolling through the first Twitter. She found the second. "Anna Kendrick and Allstar Weekend." The third and fourth were Allstar Weekend fan Twitters. "Who is Allstar Weekend?" Stella said, frustrated. "Who the hell am I supposed to get this back to? Who is this Cameron kid?"  
Stella typed "Allstar Weekend" into Google. She clicked on their website. A band? She thought. Stella clicked on their second video. Blame it on September? Stella scrunched her nose and closed the tab. She typed "Cameron Quiseng" into Google. After clicking on his Twitter she laughed and said,  
"What a dork." Stella sighed and found the IlianaThompson Twitter. She tweeted " IlianaThompson Found your Cameron list Starbucks Can I get it back to you?"  
" StellaHella YES! Can we meet at Starbucks?"  
" IlianaThompson be there 8:00."  
Stella smiled. "Girl Scout good deed of the day accomplished. It's only one o'clock. What other good can I do in the world?" Stella felt an unfamiliar pull-curiosity. Her mother being in the drug business, Stella was taught curiosity was a bad, deadly thing. _But now ..._ she thought.  
Stella typed "Allstar Weekend" into Google, then Youtube, and clicked on their most popular video. _Journey to the End of my Life? That's depressing_. Stella thought. _This video is from five years ago? What on earth?_ She watched the video and couldn't help but smile. The one in front was like a scrawny little lead singer. The boys in the back thought their guitar tricks were just the coolest thing. They were like little kids. _Let's find something from this decade, shall we?_  
Stella looked through the most popular videos again. Life As We Know It? Recent. They're not babies anymore, that's for sure. Is that strip poker? Stella raised her eyebrows.  
"Well, I did not see that coming." She admitted to herself. She slammed down her laptop lid. "Eight o'clock."


	3. Chapter 3

At 7:58 Stella ran across the street to Starbucks.  
"Stella! Stella Bennett? A small voice asked. Stella looked around and saw a small girl at a table. She tilted her head.  
"Yes?"  
"Hi! Oh, great, I'm Iliana!" The girl smiled. Stella stared at her small frame. Upon closer inspection, she was obviously college-age. Her perfect complexion and liquid eyeliner gave her an airbrushed appearance. She was slight, a mere five-foot-two. Stella nearly towered over her at five-foot-six.  
"Hi." She said. Iliana smiled wide.  
"Can I have my list?" She asked. Stella nodded and handed her the crumpled piece of paper. "Thank goodness! I'd forgotten who was on it. I'll give it to him at VIP. That'll be alright." Iliana mumbled.  
"Who is Cameron?" Stella asked. Iliana's mouth fell open.  
"Who is Cameron?" She asked. Stella stared blankly in reply. "Cameron Quiseng?"  
"Key-seng!" Stella exclaimed. "I couldn't figure out how to say it."  
"Key-seng, right, right." Iliana mumbled. "Cam is the bass guitarist for Allstar Weekend, silly!"  
"Okay? Well ... have a nice night." Stella said as she walked away.  
"Wait!" Iliana yelled after her. "You looked them up, didn't you?" She smiled as Stella turned.  
"A bit." Stella replied.  
"Did you like them?" Iliana asked eagerly.  
"Not really." Stella shrugged.  
"Challenge accepted." Iliana smiled. "Come with me." Iliana took Stella's hand and dragged her toward the highway.  
"Where are we going?" Stella asked. "You don't want to get a drink here, or something?"  
"Of course not. They have really bitchy barristas now. I live just up here to the right ..." Iliana trailed off. "Why did you want to get me my list? Why not just leave it?"  
"I figured it had a purpose." Stella shrugged. "I just moved here, so I was hoping to ... I don't know."  
"Make a friend?" Iliana smiled.  
"Sure." Stella mumbled. Iliana asked,  
"Where do you live, then?"  
"Oh, um, I'd rather not ..." Stella said as Iliana chuckled.  
"Am I really that threatening?" She asked.  
"Most threats don't come labeled." Stella retorted.  
"True." Iliana nodded. Well, I live just up here to the right." Stella and Iliana walked a few minutes before heading into a slightly run-down house. "I know it's not much, but I fell in love with the neighborhood, you know?" Stella nodded.  
Iliana opened the front door and the girls walked into a surprisingly antique living room.  
"Wow." Stella said. "I did not see that coming." Stella's fingers grazed the wood paneling of the sofa, adoring the pink paisley pattern. Iliana blushed.  
"I like to think of myself as an interior decorator. On the side, of course."  
"What's your actual job?"  
"Oh, um ... I do ... consultant work?" Iliana said hesitantly.  
"Consulting for whom?" Stella asked suspiciously.  
"It's freelance work." Iliana admitted. "I'm a private investigator. She led Stella into her bedroom. It was cast in an eerie glow, Stella realized, from five different computer screens. "This is why I can't afford a better place. The electric bill is a huge chunk of change." Iliana shrugged.  
"Family business?" Stella guessed.  
"Indeed! Like the mortuary business, you know?"  
"Hopefully with different results?"  
"Mostly." Iliana said. "Mostly."  
"What do you know about me?" Stella asked.  
"Stella? Donatella Bennett from Maine. Your dad's an investment consultant, your mom was stay-at-home until she was arrested on charges of production and distribution of LSD. What's interesting about you, is there is no trail leading to you. There are no phone records from the past week. There are no college applications. No car purchases. No house purchases. I had to work backward from your Twitter." Iliana said.  
"Nice work." Stella said.  
"Thank you."  
"So how does a girl like you get into a boy band?"  
"Band!" Iliana yelled. She covered her mouth. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scream. I mean ... they're not a boy band." She whimpered.  
"It's alright." Stella said, a bit startled. "Band, then. How did you get into a band?" Iliana smiled nostalgically.  
"I met them bowling once."  
"Okay."  
"Then I looked them up on Youtube."  
"And ..."  
"That was it." Iliana shrugged. "I was gone."  
"You watched their videos and ... that was it?"  
"You can't help falling in love with them. They're so adorably stupid." Iliana smiled.  
"You're very cheeky." Stella said. "I like it."  
"Thank you." Iliana sat in her desk chair and pulled various websites and videos up on her screens. She pointed to the one on the far left.  
"That is-"  
"Life As We Know It." Stella finsihed.  
"Good, you know it." Iliana smiled. "Pardon the pun. Their most recent music video." She pointed at the screen directly in front of her. "This is their upcoming tour schedule."  
"Are you going?"  
"We're going." Iliana smiled. "I was going to take my friend, Sarah, but I'm sure she'll find someone else. You need an Allstar Weekend education."  
"Whoa. I don't want to go see them live. I just moved, I've got loads of things to do-"  
"Like what?" Iliana asked, eyes narrowed.  
"Like ..." Stella trailed off.  
"Making friends. Which you will do at the show." Iliana swiveled back to face her screens. She pointed to the three upmost screens, each with a different boy's face on it. "The one on the far left," Iliana pointed, "is Michael. He plays drums. I like to call his little groupies the 'baby girls.'" Iliana giggled. Stella stood, her face stoic. "Well, Adubbers would think it's funny." Iliana scoffed.  
"Adubbers?" Stella asked.  
"Oh, dear Lord." Iliana spun to face Stella and asked, "Have you ever been in a fandom?"  
"A fandom?"  
"Sweet baby Jesus. I can't believe you'd just return-" Iliana rolled her eyes.  
"I'm confused. Have I done something wrong?" Stella asked.  
"You're going to need a lot of work. Go home, be back here at 8."  
"Why should I?" Stella asked.  
"You want a friend, don't you?" Iliana asked. Stella thought back to the letter her father sent with her. A friend is the closest thing I'll ever have to family.  
"Of course."  
"Well, you've got me!" Iliana said, cheerfully. "Soon, you'll have an entire fandom."  
"I still don't know-"  
"Go home." Iliana pressed.


	4. Chapter 4

Iliana heard a knock on her door the next morning.  
"Stella?" She asked.  
"Yeah?"  
"Oh, great!" Iliana unlocked the door and Stella walked inside, freshly showered after her morning run. Iliana gestured for Stella to go to her bedroom where there were now two swivel chairs. Stella sat in one and crossed her legs "Indian-style."  
"So ..."  
"Everyone who has done anything famous has a fandom. There is always going to be a cluster of people who genuinely appreciate the work someone did, right?"  
"Sure." Stella replied.  
"Right. So Allstar Weekend has a fandom."  
"For doing what?" Stella asked. Iliana rolled her eyes.  
"Music! Being a band!" She said, exasperated. She pressed a few keys and the three boys' pictues flashed on the topmost screens once again. "The one on the left is-"  
"Michael." Stella finished.  
"Good memory." Iliana quipped. "The middle boy is Zach. Lead singer. The best way to describe him is ..." Iliana thought for a moment. "Awkwardly and humbly adorable." She nodded to herself. "Sounds about right. Then, this guy over here," Iliana motioned to the third screen. "is Cameron Quiseng."  
"The guy you wanted to give your list to?"  
"Right." Iliana nodded. "We had a coffee date because I donated money to their kickstarter-"  
"Like a prostitute?" Stella asked.  
"Why would you say something like that?" Iliana asked.  
"Because that's what it sounds like."  
"I'm giving him money and he is providing me a service! That's not prostitution, that's commerce!"  
"That's why prostitution is the oldest profession." Stella replied. Iliana fumed.  
"It was a perfectly logical transaction. It was a nice way to get to know Cam a little bit on a personal level. And I helped fund their next album. I am an investor. I do good business, Stella, don't you think for a second I don't!"  
"You seem awfully defensive of him." Stella hinted.  
"What? Oh! Oh, no. He's like ... he's like a friend. I just care about him; I want him to be safe, you know?"  
"I understand." Stella nodded.  
"I used to have a huge thing for Michael, actually, but no one knows that." Iliana admitted. "It's the dimples. They're just ..." Iliana shrugged. "Anyway! Cameron. He's the baby of the band-only twenty-two."  
"Okay."  
"He plays bass."  
"Are these the only three?" Stella asked.  
"Ah! You've caught on!" Iliana smiled. "Now, they've undergone a few lineup changes. At first they had one friend playing guitar, but that was before my time. They had their friend, Nathan, on lead guitar for awhile. He left about a year-and-a-half ago. So here we have the current lineup." The two outside pictures were replaced. "The left is Dillon Anderson. He plays keyboard. I don't really think he wants to be in the band. He's their tour manager who also happens to play keyboard."  
"Multi-talented."  
"And they don't have to pay for another member." Iliana added.  
"Cost-effective."  
"Indeed. Now, Brent, here, is a bit of a conundrum. Total sweetheart, I don't care what anyone says. He and Cam have a bad habit of not thinking before they speak."  
"No filter?"  
"Pretty much." Iliana nodded. "Brent plays lead guitar, technically. Brent and Dillon, however, are kind of like back-up members. They're part of the fandom, but not integral, you know?"  
"No."  
"Well, they're sort of integral. I'm not sure how to describe them, you know? We love 'em to pieces. They're just not the 'big three.'"  
"Understood."  
"They have two full albums, and their newest EP. The first was 'Suddenly Yours.' The second was 'All The Way.' Their EP is 'The American Dream.'"  
"What's an EP?"  
"Extended play. Like a mini-album." Iliana explained. Stella nodded.  
"Okay." Iliana stopped typing. She looked up from her screens and said,  
"Wait a minute." She sighed heavily. "I can show you all of this, but, I have a better idea. It's Friday." Iliana smiled. "Let's go make you some friends!"  
"Wait-what?"  
"Well, I can teach you about the fandom, or you can just ... Dive in!" She giggled.


	5. Chapter 5

Iliana's car pulled up to the Andaz three hours later. She handed her keys to the valet and turned to Stella.  
"I fucking hate downtown traffic." Stella looked around.  
"Why are we here?" She asked.  
"You need to meet Cora." Iliana replied. She grabbed Stella by the arm and pulled her inside. They were immediately greeted by the receptionist. "Cora!" Iliana beamed  
"Iliana! What are you doing here?!" Cora asked. She looked at Stella. "Who's this?"  
"This," Iliana said, "Is Stella. She is joining the fandom."  
"Welcome!" Cora said, giving Stella a quick hug. "We're gonna need everyone we can get right now. They need some support, you know."  
"I don't, really." Stella admitted.  
"What?" Cora asked. "Is she that new?" Iliana nodded. Cora walked them over to one of the couches in the lobby. "Check-in isn't until two. We've got some time."  
"Time for what?" Stella asked.  
"Stella, on the list, there were four girls listed before me. This is number one: KissingQuiseng." Cora stuck out her hand.  
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." She smiled as Stella accepted the handshake.  
"Cora." Stella nodded. "Are you Cameron's girlfriend?" Iliana and Cora erupted into hysterical laugher.  
"I don't think the first person with that title is going to last very long." Iliana said, wiping tears from her eyes. Stella tilted her head.  
"First person? Wait ... isn't he twenty-two?"  
"It's adorable, isn't it?" Cora asked. "Never had a girlfriend. That is just the beginning! He's so endearing." She said, swooning. "He's got those gorgeous eyes, big smile, and even bigger biceps-"  
"Cora, you're going to start drooling." Iliana said, playfully slapping her.  
"He's twenty-two, plays guitar, and hasn't had a girlfriend? What's wrong with him?" Stella asked.  
"Nothing! That's what is so strange." Iliana said. "Cora, here, has been a fan since practically the beginning."  
"Back in the days of OuterspaceAllStar." She sighed. "I just think they should be so much more successful than they are."  
"So, okay ... tell me about yourself!" Stella said.  
"Being an Adubber is a great thing. The guys are easy to meet, really sweet, but mostly ... normal. Meeting other celebrities, you know, they're very much obviously celebrities. But if you run into Allstar Weekend at Starbucks you wouldn't be able to tell they have over a million fans."  
"Over a million?"  
"Just hit it on Facebook." Iliana smiled.  
"I always love VIP meet-n-greets. Those are the best because they're so awkward, you know?" Cora said. "The fans act like they're famous. Because they are, of course. The guys, though, they don't get it. They're like, 'How can we have changed someone's life?' They really think they're just a bunch of guys from southern California making music."  
"Aren't they just a bunch of guys from southern California making music?"  
"That's just it, they're so much more!" Cora said. "Every Adubber has made friends in the fandom. They've changed our lives. They are sometimes the inspiration for people to stop cutting, or purging, or doing any number of self-destructive things. I can't explain it, I don't understand it, myself, but what a fandom is can truly change a person's life. We are a family."  
"That's true." Iliana nodded. "We're a family."  
"Allstar Weekend did all that?"  
"Absolutely." Cora said. "But they refuse to take the credit."  
"What did they do for you, then?" Stella asked. Cora smiled and said,  
"They just gave me a place to fit in." Stella glazed over Cora's appearance. Like Iliana, she had a very small frame. Cora, however, was very tall and spindly. Her hair was gelled into a Miley-esque, blonde fohawk.  
"That's great." Stella smiled. "I hope they can do the same for me, then."  
"Iliana, don't you think Stella's cute?" Cora said, tilting her head to one side.  
"I suppose she is." Iliana nodded.  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  
"All along, girl." Iliana winked. Cora smiled.  
"You are so bad!"  
"What?" Stella asked. "What did I miss here?"  
"Nothing, girl." Cora said. "Nothing. You're just ... very pretty. And we know someone else who would think you're very pretty. That's all."  
"Okay?" Stella asked, eyebrows raised.  
"Well, we must be off!" Iliana said. She and Stella walked toward the hotel's entrance where their car waited. "You go ahead, I've got some catching up to do real quick. It'll be just a second." Iliana told Stella. Stella went to the car.  
"Do you think Cameron will like her?" Iliana asked Cora.  
"Of course he will. She's gorgeous." Cora replied. "Like you." She leaned down to place a soft kiss to Iliana's lips. "Who else are you taking her to see?"  
"Just the rest of the list: Emily, Lauren, and Kelsey."  
"Emily? Do you want her to think we're freaks of nature?"  
"I want her to get a full circle viewpoint." Iliana replied. Cora rolled her eyes and gave her a good-bye kiss. Iliana smiled and pushed her away.  
"I don't want your manager to see."  
"I don't give a shit." She chuckled. "I love you, now go!" Cora yelled after Iliana as she ran to Stella.


End file.
